Back at it again with the white polos …

Eli hacked very hunterly last night, and I even got in some hill work. After work. Because DST. I guess the less sleep is an okay trade off for hill work? So after about a week off because of vaccinations and weather, Eli has been working nicely this week. I’ve been trying to keep the rides interesting for him. Canter before trot, throw in a few jumps, hack in the fields, hill work … I think just loops around the arena would bore him at this point.

He is plenty fit, but needs to put on a few more pounds. Word in the barn aisle is we’ll be switching much of the barn over to a pretty damn good feed, so I am hoping the switch will help. Recently, I have been feeding him out of my own pocket instead of just settling for the pellets that come with board, because since his sinus saga, he’s been a very picky eater, and I’m feeding him something more palatable. His appetite for hay and grass is insatiable, but I’d like him to eat up all of his grain, too. Which he does now, for the most part, and seems to have a better appetite for it now that the weather is warmer and he’s working regularly. We’ll see what happens. He’ll never be fat because he is a fine-boned type TB that probably burns more calories during his naps than I ever did when I was doing things like aerobic weights and hot yoga-type classes. But he could look chubbier than he does now and I’d be happier.

I noticed an interesting detail the other day that I had not picked up on before.

Not only are my MDCs labelled on the bottom of the treads, they are diminutively labelled just above the joint. Completely adorable, and practical.

Like I said, Eli loves grass. And now that there is plenty of it, I am glad to have that back in his diet, too.

He’s not turned out on grass, so it’s up to me to graze him as much as I can. I have also been keeping an eye on the fluid in his left front, as it is ever so slowly dissipating. There may be a bit of scar tissue left from the deepest part of the scrape in a less-than-ideal place, but the heat is gone and he has stayed sound on it. I had hoped to get in a jump lesson on Saturday, but the weather might not be so good for it.

Thanks! I will have to look into the essential K. The coastal we’ve gotten lately has been very good quality, but coastal is not super nutritious generally, and timothy is difficult to get here. The feed we’re switching to is a Triple Crown feed, so I am hopeful that will make a difference for Eli.

I fed Annie the Triple Crown Senior Feed when I first got her bc of the analysis and it was really good for her when the hay we fed wasn’t. It didn’t make her hot either and she was getting a decent amount at the time. 🙂

He is so handsome! I’ve always had good luck with rice bran (in any form pellets, powder, oil). I think I will be on the juggling calories for weight gain with the new guy, I’ve gotten so spoiled by Mr. Prisoner and his round body. That said, a local trainer who has taken a lot of Thoroughbreds up the levels said that he prefers the leaner types, they have always jumped best for him.

I’ll look into rice bran, too. I know he’ll turn his nose up at any kind of oil, but maybe the pellets could work for him. I don’t mind him being fit and a little lean, I just need his muscle mass to build back up!